She received all-state honors, she guided her team to the state finals and she was a unanimous all-conference pick. Rebekah Ehresman can now add Daily Leader Player of the Year to her list of honors this season.

The El Paso-Gridley junior leads a group of four juniors and a senior on the first team of the PDL all-area team for 2012-13. The 17-player complete team is represented by each of the eight teams and each of the four classes in school.

It probably would not be a stretch to say that any area coach would love to have this team, especially the first team, which will have four players coming back next season.

Rebekah Ehresman led the Titans to third place in the Class 2A state tournament and finished with a 16.3 points per game and 5.8 rebounds per game average. She also dished out assists at a 4.3 per outing clip.

Along the way this season, Ehresman earned all-tourney team accolades at Olympia and the State Farm Classic while also being named to the IBCA first-team all-state for small schools.

Ehresman was also the sixth highest vote getter for The Associated Press all-state squad, placing her on the second team.

Joining Ehresman on the PDL all-area first team is EPG teammate Codee Schlipf.

Also a junior, Schlipf was a dominating force down the stretch for the Titans on their state tourney run. She finished the season with averages of 11.8 points and 5.2 rebounds.

Schlipf’s honors this season included first team all-HOIC and third team IBCA all-state.

The other three PDL all-area first-teamers came from the two biggest schools in the area.

Laura Crane of Prairie Central is the only senior of the group. She averaged 13.4 points and 7 rebounds for the Hawks, while also collecting 82 steals and making 19 blocks.

Junior Kaela Hodges of Pontiac improved her game tremendously this season. She averaged 14.8 points and 9.6 rebounds for the 19-8 Indians. Hodges earned all-tourney honors at Ottawa and was named to the first team of the all-Corn Belt squad.

She was also named the PTHS co-MVP. Joining Hodges in this honor was classmate Kelsey Walsberg, the fifth player on the all-area first team.

Walsberg averaged 15.5 points for the Tribe. She, too, was all-tourney at Ottawa and was named to the all-CBC second team.

The PDL second team can shoot with anyone. It can also do the little things.

Leading the group is senior Taylor Roach of Tri-Point, who averaged 18.8 points and 4.4 rebounds as a guard for the Chargers.

Page 2 of 2 - Another high scorer, Haley Ruestman, a Fieldcrest junior, averaged 19.3 points, which led the area.

Kianna Coomber, a freshman at Prairie Central, averaged 11.4 points and 5.1 rebounds in her first prep season.

Jenna Souhrada had the lowest averages of the top 10 players, but her 7.2 points and 2.5 rebounds per game did not tell the story of this senior leader from El Paso-Gridley. She was a key leader for the third-place Titans.

Flanagan-Cornell-Woodland’s Sydney Walker scored at 12.9 points a game for the Falcons, who reached a regional title game.

The honorable mention squad is made up of eight players who were top players in their own right for their respective teams.

Leading the group are seniors Chelsea Kessinger of El Paso-Gridley, Kenzie Krause of Tri-Point and Dwight’s Alyson Wiemken and Lisa Bruner. Also named are sophomore Tessa Holland of Fieldcrest and freshmen Ashley Harfst of Pontiac and Gabby Freed of Lexington.